Month after thwarted flydubai attack, Israel issues stringent new rules for all airlines

A month after the attempted hijacking of a flydubai flight by its copilot, Israel issued new security directives for all airlines flying to and from Ben Gurion Airport. The rules require crew information submission 48 hours before departure, with final lists at takeoff. The Shin Bet will now oversee security for incoming foreign flights as well.

A month after the attempted terrorist crashing of a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv from Dubai, Israeli authorities issued new, stringent directives on Thursday to both foreign and Israeli airlines, requiring them to submit crew information 48 hours prior to departure. The new directives require that any further updates regarding crew members are submitted during the check-in period and no later than two hours before takeoff, and that a final list be issued at takeoff. The measures were ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a security review, and are intended to allow adequate time for background checks. The security requirements were issued by the National Center for Passenger Information Data Analysis, also known as Malan, which is a division within the Israel Tax Authority. Non-Israeli carriers and Israeli airlines operating foreign aircraft flying in and out of Israel will henceforth be required to complete an online form with full details about pilots, cabin crew and passengers 48 hours before entering Israel, which will be reviewed by the Israel Population and Immigration Authority. The Immigration Authority will approve or reject requests to board passengers and crew members on flights entering Israel, departing from it, or passing through its territory. Additionally, the Mossad and Shin Bet have designated certain countries as "red" countries and will review entry forms and visa applications from would-be arrivals from these countries. The Shin Bet, which until now oversaw security relating to Israeli airlines and provided the "security blanket" for all flights departing Israel, will also be responsible for airline security procedures relating to incoming foreign airlines and their overseas departure points. The near-disaster aboard Flight 1073 exposed major flaws in Israel's security procedures, especially for incoming foreign flights, with no effective oversight of the airlines' vetting of pilots, no Israeli vetting of the crews, and aircrew lists routinely submitted only after planes have taken off. Unconfirmed reports said that some 1,240 aircrew members from countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel have entered the country over the past year.